The online home of Paul McNamara: Nurse. Educator. Digital Citizen.

Tag Archives: #SoMe (Social Media)

This post is a companion piece to my oral presentation at the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control 5th International Conference, 20 -23 November 2016, Pullman & Mercure Melbourne Albert Park. The conference hashtag is #ACIPC16. The function of the online version is to be a collection point to list references/links.

The Prezi is intended as an oral presentation, so I do not intend to include a full description of the content here.

Regular visitors to meta4RN.com will recognise some familiar themes. Let’s not call it self-plagiarism (such an ugly term), I would rather think of it as a new, funky remix of a favourite old song. Due to this remixing of old content I’ve included lots of previous meta4RN.com blog posts on the reference list (which, in turn, makes the reference list look stupidly self-referential). Anyway, with that embarrassing disclosure, here is the abstract and list of references for the Prezi https://prezi.com/fcjda3fh9etr/twitter-is-a-vector

Communication is an inherent part of being a health professional. Over time we have our adapted to the communication technologies available to us: telephones, fax machines, emails and videoconferencing. Yet, for some of us, there seems to be hesitation to use one of the technologies of our time – social media – in a similarly confident manner.

Perhaps you have heard a health professional say something like, “Twitter doesn’t interest me – I don’t care what Justin Bieber had for breakfast.” Those people speak that way because they don’t have a clear understanding of the difference between personal, official and professional use of Twitter.

This presentation is a blatant hard-sell regarding professional use of social media. Examples of professional use of Twitter being used to augment education, conferences, health promotion, academia and the profile of health professionals will be presented.

Please use the conference hashtag – #ACIPC16 – if live-Tweeting during this presentation.

Finally, a big thank you to the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control 2016 conference organisers for inviting me to #ACIPC16. Special thanks to the Chair of the Scientific Committee Brett Mitchell (aka @1healthau on Twitter).

This post is a companian piece to my oral presentation at the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses 42nd International Mental Health Nursing Conference, 25 – 27 October 2016, Adelaide Convention Centre (the conference hashtag is #ACMHN2016). The function of the online version is to be a collection point to list references.

The Prezi is intended as an oral presentation, so I do not intend to include a full description of the content here.

Regular visitors to meta4RN.com will recognise some familiar themes. Let’s not call it self-plagarism (such an ugly term), I would rather think of it as a new, funky remix of a favourite old song. Due to this remixing of old content I’ve included previous meta4RN.com blog posts on the reference list (which, in turn, makes the reference list look stupidly self-referential).

Have you ever heard someone say something like, “Twitter doesn’t interest me – I don’t care what Justin Bieber had for breakfast”? Those people speak that way because they don’t understand the difference between personal, official and professional use of Twitter or social media more generally. Data will be presented about nurses using Twitter in a constructive, professional way, with the aim of allaying the fears of those in the pre-contemplation phase, and encouraging those in the contemplation and action phases. In recognition of nursing being a predominantly female profession, a feminist argument will be introduced that aligns the use of social media with empowerment. It will be argued that Twitter can enable and ennoble mental health nurses to engage with people beyond the “walled gardens” of our work silos, our profession, and our conference. Participants will be encouraged to have their mobile phone/tablet/laptop turned on and in use during the presentation, in the hope that we will have a shared conversation on the subject. Why on earth would a mental health nurse bother with Twitter? Answers and challenges will be available to those who attend this presentation and/or follow the conference hashtag #ACMHN2016.

New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association [nswnma]. (2014, July 30). Women now have unmediated access to public conversation via social media for 1st time in history @JaneCaro #NSWNMAconf14 #destroythejoint [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/nswnma/status/494313737575096321

This post is the companian peice to a Prezi of the same name, and serves mostly as a collection point for references and thanks.

The Prezi is intended as an oral presentation, so I do not intend to include a full description of the content here. After watching the Prezi/hearing the presentation regular visitors to meta4RN.com will recognise some familiar themes. Let’s not call it self-plagarism (such an ugly term), I would rather think of it as a new, funky remix of a favourite old song. Due to this remixing of old content I’ve included previous meta4RN.com blog posts on the reference list.

I am more than just a bit embarrassed at how self-referential the Prezi/my presentation is. Not only does this make me look like a total narcissist, it also calls the credibility of the presentation into question. I’ll need to cop those criticisms on the chin until more Australian mental health nurses provide examples of professional use of social media. When that happens, I intend to replace some of the meta4RN content of the Prezi with that of other Australian mental health nurses.

Thanks

Thanks to all those who contributed to the Prezi/presentation either directly or indirectly. There are too many to name at the moment [I have a deadline looming], but you’ll see glimpses of their names and faces on Twitter, Blogs and Facebook as you look through the Prezi. These are some of the people that make using social media such a pleasure. When I have time, I intend to come back and list all the contributors below:

New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association [nswnma]. (2014, July 30). Women now have unmediated access to public conversation via social media for 1st time in history @JaneCaro #NSWNMAconf14 #destroythejoint [Tweet]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/nswnma/status/494313737575096321

Today Ausmed Nursing Education launched the web page “A Nurse’s Guide to Twitter”. I was very pleased when Will Egan from Ausmed asked me submit the content. Now that I’ve seen how great it looks online I’m very very pleased.

I’m writing this blog post purely to link to Ausmed page. Yes, that’s right: this web page is about another web page. There’s that meta part of meta4RN again.🙂

While I’m at it, I want to make an acknowledgement. The process of writing for Ausmed was great. Not only did they pay for the article to be written (a first for me), but they asked for my approval to all the edits that were made (another first for me – I’ve never had that courtesy extended by other publications). To top it off, the Ausmed team made my humble text look great! Aesthetics = accessibility. A big thanks to Will Egan specifically, and the Ausmed team generally.

Like this:

Copy of Stay connected, stay strong… before and after baby DVD on YouTube (33 minutes):Update as of 12/10/16: video deleted as requested (scroll to bottom of page for further info).

From the back cover of the DVD:

Pregnancy, birth and parenting can be a very positive time, but sometimes it may not be how you expected it to be. Adjusting to life as a mother can be hard and make women feel down and distressed. In Australia, one in every six women experience depression during this time.

This DVD has been created to support Indigenous women, men and families understand the importance of good social and emotional wellbeing during pregnancy and beyond.

Going to get help might feel like the hardest part, but it is the best thing you can do for yourself, your baby and your family. Getting help early gives the best chance of a strong and healthy future.

The video is online so that it can easily reach the target audiences: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders families, and those who support them. It is a great little video: not only does it have a very clear message that there’s no shame in asking for a bit of support, but it also looks and sounds great. My favourite thing is how the narration by Jasmin Cockatoo-Collins ties the whole thing together: even though a couple of dozen people appear on camera, Jasmin’s voice weaves the whole thing together so it kind of seems like one story. Well done to Jasmin and film-maker Jan Cattoni (Jan’s a nurse who became a film-maker).

Knowing that the video is so good that it should be shared is one thing, getting it shared is another.

Stay connected, stay strong… is available for free in Queensland and for $20 elsewhere, all you need is this PDF order form from the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health:

However, as accessible as all that sounds, the truth of the matter is that YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing portal and the world’s second largest search engine. A video is not really accessible until it is online.

This is by far the riskiest thing I’ve done with my professional social media portfolio. I am not the copyright holder of this excellent short film: the Queensland Government is. Although I won’t make any money out of hosting the video, I might be subject to legal action. If there is a credible threat of legal action I will take the video down immediately. Another risk is that I might be inadvertently causing offence or distress to some person or organisation. This may mean that I will not be considered for future work in perinatal and infant mental health (perhaps funding for services will return to pre-July 2013 levels one day).

So, why take these risks?.

My agenda is simple: to demonstrate that social media can be leveraged as another channel for health promoting information. It’s something I started when working in perinatal and infant mental health in October 2011, as evidenced by this from my now-mothballed Twitter handle @PiMHnurse (now I use a less job-specific name: @meta4RN).

My big hope is that hosting Stay connected, stay strong… before and after baby won’t get me in too much trouble, but will serve as a spur for a more legitimate stakeholder to host the video on their YouTube or Vimeo site.

When that happens I will update this blog post.

End

That’s it. I’m feeling scared now.

Paul McNamara, 8th June 2014

Important Update12/10/16

The copy of Stay connected, stay strong… before and after baby that was uploaded to YouTube in June 2014 has now been deleted. Today I was advised that I was breaching copyright, and was requested to take the video down ASAP. In the 28 months that the video was available on YouTube it was viewed 280 times.

I’ll add a link if an official online version becomes available.

My intention in knowingly posting a video that I am not the copyright-holder of was to act as an agent of change. If I have caused harm or distress to any person or organisation I am genuinely sorry. That was not my intention.

In the never-ending quest to enthuse midwives and nurses about professional use of social media I’ve talked to people about it, given inservice education sessions, demonstrated is use as an adjunct to education, facilitated workshops, submitted conference posters, contributed to journal articles and have been invited to speak at conferences. To spread the word I’ve taken the risk of being called geekwanker narcissist, and even had cards printed:

When I talk to people about health care social media, I always mention how it lets information be shared quickly and easily, and network with people from a range of professions/walks-of-life from all around the world. However, the thing I value the most and try to emphasise the most, is the participative, interactive nature of social media. Social media is where the debates are held; those of us who want to influence and participate in decisions gather and test our ideas on social media. Twitter is especially good for this: it lets anyone join in and contribute to- and be enlightened by- the contest of ideas.

To see how Twitter works to share information and the contest of ideas, see these two recent examples (click on the pics to see the complete conversations unfurl):

In health and education roles I encounter many people who give dumb blanket statements like, “I will never use Twitter – I don’t care what Justin Bieber had for breakfast”. Much to my embarrassment, this is the sort of thing I hear nurses (especially those in positions of influence and power) say all the time. These people are so stubborn that they won’t even look, listen or learn about professional use of social media.

A few months ago two Australian nurse lecturers forthrightly and very confidently told me that Twitter and facts are (somehow) mutually exclusive, and they do not and never will use it. I tried being zen about the whole thing (water flows around resistance, rocks in the stream shift or erode), and celebrated some of the nurse academics who are more enlightned about health care social media (see storify.com/meta4RN/lecturers).

However, the same thing keeps happening: people in positions of power and influence in the health care and higher education systems are still using silly, uninformed, blanket statements to decry the use of social media and warn people off from using it.

No more Mr Nice Guy – I’m calling these people what they are: Luddites.

People being resistive to new technologies and innovations is not new, and in my lifetime I have seen that change is inevitable – the luddites and laggards will catch-up eventually.

In the 1970s I knew people who refused to play video-games like Space Invaders – “No it’s too confusing, I’m sticking with the pinball machine” said my friend when we went into the pinball parlour.

In the 1980s I knew people who refused to use ATMs (automatic teller machines) – “No, you can’t trust a little card and machine. I’ll wait until the bank opens on Monday.” said my relative.

In the 1990s I knew people who refused to use computers. Every now and then I still hear people say, “I don’t believe in computers” as if computers are akin to the tooth fairy or religion.

In the 2000s I knew people who refused to use a mobile phone, “Why would I ever need one?”, people would say. Now, in Australia, there are more mobile phones than people (for more info: meta4RN.com/mobile).

In the 2010s I know people who refuse to use social media. As evidenced by the “I don’t need to know what Justin Bieber had for breakfast” type of statements, the reason they don’t use it is twofold: [1] they do not understand it, and [2] they decline the opportunities to learn.

I guess I should be patient with my resistive colleagues – history shows that they’ll come around eventually. However, for those nurses and midwives in positions of power and influence, I’m hoping people will print and fax you a copy of this picture below. If you can’t summon the willingness to learn about professional health care social media, please summon the dignity and sense to stop critiquing something you do not understand.

PDF version (suitable to print and fax to a social media denier of your choosing): Luddites